Bethany Covenant Church

BUILDING COMMITTEE MEETING

May 21, 2005

PRESENT:       Jim Kristoff (Church Chairman), Luke Converse (Building Committee Chairman), Pam              Blything, Lynn Converse, Dale Fisher, Joy Frame, Ed Hatters, Bill Klaus, Pastor Stacey

Littlefield, Gail Means

ABSENT:        Tom Johnson

Luke opened the meeting by reading from 1 Peter 4:7 and following.  This passage emphasized prayer, loving each other, offering hospitality and being good stewards of the gifts given as things necessary to building community.  Luke then led us in prayer.

Luke envisioned this committee as forming teams which would meet independently and report back to the committee as a whole.

DISCUSSION:

• COMMUNICATION:  This will be vital for our committee and for keeping the congregation informed.  Someone needs to be in charge who can clearly and enthusiastically present our ideas in various formats.
• FUNDING:  Also extremely important.  Someone needs to explore different funding mechanisms.
• BUILDING VISION:  For what size congregation are we building?  Should we move forward with Phase 2 of the Long Range Plan or consider the larger picture of Phase 3?  Every decision we make flows from our vision of where Bethany is growing.  We need to build a facility large enough for both worship and fellowship.  Many expressed concern about growing too big – into a mega-church – and losing the small-church sense of community we enjoy.  It was concluded that we would target a congregation size of 500, max.  A question was raised about feasibility of merging with First Covenant.
  • Luke wants to talk with members of our congregation and local churches which have experienced expansion and apply their wisdom to our building process.
  • Ed Hatters has contacted an Akron-based design/build architect to meet May 26 with him and Stacey to give us preliminary costs based on plans of Long Range Planning Committee.  This firm has built approx. 140 churches and is willing to discuss our ideas for a minimal cost.
  • Ed prepared design ideas for our “visioning” of how expansion might look.  We agreed that we want costs to support both Phase 2 expansion and Phase 3 so that when presented to the congregation we would have pros and cons to support our recommendations.

• PARKING:  Ed met with Lyndhurst Building Commissioner to discuss set-back codes.  We are at minimum set-back from the road so any parking closer to the street would require a variance.  Ed also prepared four different parking configurations for this committee’s review:

1.      21 spaces on west side, backing up to former parsonage property – needs a variance for about 30’.

2.      17 spaces, also on west side, adjacent to sewer facility easement – needs a variance.

3.      15 spaces in front of church around drive – needs a variance

4.      35-40 spaces on east side – no variance needed.

o       NOTE:  According to code 125 spaces needed for 500 people; however, realistically, we would need perhaps double that and then there would be no green space left.

This committee recommended Ed first present Plan 2 to Building Commissioner – it is the option requiring most variance.  Then if that is denied, we would offer Plan 1.

o       GAR Paving will give us estimates the week of May 23.

PRAYER CONCERNS:

• Vision for Bethany – size of congregation
• Role of First Covenant
• Concerns regarding ability to building community as our congregation grows

ASSIGNMENTS:

• Committee asked to continue lifting up prayer concerns
• Ed Hatters and Bill Klaus will get bids for parking to be able to present to July Council meeting; then to July Congregational meeting for approval of expenditure.
  • Contact City of Lyndhurst re variances needed.

• Luke will contact someone from Covenant or another church to come and speak to us about expansion
• Luke will discuss communications with Administration Commission
• Gail will prepare Building Committee prayer issues for bulletins (starting May 29 and up-dating every few weeks), including congregational approval at July meeting of expenditures over $4,000
• Pam and Joy willing to act as “go-fers” as needed

NEXT MEETING:  Tuesday, May 31, 7 p.m. at church

Meeting was adjourned with prayer.

Respectfully submitted,

Gail Means